Chapter 68

After several days of reconstruction, the underground passage had become much smoother. The team tasked with the rescue mission had become very familiar with the route after multiple trips.

The group moved swiftly along the dark road. After days of rain, insects and ants had emerged from the ground, scurrying rapidly amidst the sounds of their breathing.

Exiting the tunnel, they changed into disguises.

Everything was done silently.

This palace was extremely secluded, located in the northwest corner of the palace complex. The Yuqing Palace was also a cold palace, not far from their current location.

The guards outside the palace were on high alert, stationed at every intersection. They changed shifts every two hours without the slightest laxity, leaving no room for error.

This was Mo Zigui, striving for perfection and leaving no chance for the enemy.

The entire Yuqing Palace was like an iron bucket, with only a few palace servants able to come and go.

He Xuan had also considered why Mo Yin, since he dared to commit regicide, didn’t just dispose of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince together, leaving only the Second Prince. Wouldn’t that have been much easier?

But Mo Yin didn’t do that. He only placed the princes and royal relatives under house arrest, preventing them from gaining royal bloodline authority and inciting unrest.

Perhaps Mo Yin wasn’t as ruthless as he claimed.

He Xuan looked up at the eaves of the Yuqing Palace, quietly waiting for the right moment.

Inside the Yuqing Palace, Mo Yin sat half-leaning in the main seat, sliding his fingers lightly over the cup lid. The Crown Prince sat below, having been under house arrest here for some time. He looked worried and pained, his whole person having slimmed down. His fists were clenched in his sleeves as he lowered his head expressionlessly before Mo Yin.

A guard suddenly hurried into the room. “Grand Master, there’s trouble outside the palace.”

Mo Yin glanced sideways. “Oh? What happened?”

“There are a hundred officials outside the palace gate, beating drums and kneeling… They want to dismiss you, Grand Master,” the guard paused, somewhat hesitant to continue. Under Mo Yin’s icy gaze, he continued truthfully, “They’re demanding your dismissal.”

Mo Yin chuckled. “The new emperor hasn’t ascended yet, and they’re already in a hurry to pay their respects. That’s filial piety for you.”

“Now there’s chaos outside, with many commoners watching. Grand Master, what do you think…”

“Send them away.”

“Yes.”

The guard retreated.

Mo Yin looked at the Crown Prince with interest.

Just now, he had already negotiated with the Crown Prince several times. He was indeed a good seedling. Among the three princes, the Crown Prince was the most intelligent. Although his father was absent-minded and didn’t care about nurturing the princes, the Crown Prince seemed to have a natural political intuition and a certain sensitivity to court politics.

At this moment, the Crown Prince’s face was particularly pale. Keeping his small face calm and composed was already commendable for his age.

After some time, guards rushed into the hall again.

The guards were trying to drive the people away according to Mo Yin’s orders, but the people were fearless, directly hitting the guards’ blades with their fists. The situation became chaotic. The guards didn’t dare to make a decision on whether to kill them all or how to deal with it. After all, tomorrow was the Second Prince’s coronation ceremony. If there was a massacre at the palace gate today, they didn’t know if the coronation ceremony could proceed smoothly. Therefore, they had to return to consult Mo Yin.

Mo Yin put down the tea lid he had been playing with and stood up, supporting himself on his knees with his hands behind his back. His red sleeves hung down as he smiled, seeming to smile but not smile, glancing at the Crown Prince. “It seems I can’t stay out of this anymore.”

The Crown Prince felt like he was being pricked by needles under Mo Yin’s gaze. He clenched his fists and obediently lowered his head.

Soon, Mo Yin left the Yuqing Palace with his men.

From morning till leaving the Yuqing Palace, he had spent the whole day there. Throughout the day, the Crown Prince had accompanied Mo Yin, drinking tea, dining, and chatting. The forced cheerfulness finally drained away as night fell.

The Crown Prince dragged his exhausted body back to the bed. He lay sideways, facing inward, staring fixedly at the patterns on the bed curtain.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the hall. The Crown Prince almost instantly sat up.

Several unfamiliar faces in guard uniforms appeared before him.

“You…”

“Your Highness, I’m He Xuan, here to rescue you,” He Xuan took a golden token from his chest and handed it to the Crown Prince. “Time is short. Please change into this palace attire and leave with us.”

Another guard presented a set of palace clothes.

The Crown Prince took the golden token and the palace attire, his lips trembling as if his soul was about to leave his body from the shock of the scene before him. The guards helped him change into the clothes. He Xuan, accompanied by his men, looked around vigilantly. The Yuqing Palace was tidy, with pastries and fruits on the table, not appear to be a place with poor living conditions.

Mo Yin was still treating the Crown Prince fairly.

He Xuan lowered his eyelashes, secretly relieved.

The guards outside the Yuqing Palace had been knocked unconscious and thrown into the bushes. Mo Yin was busy dealing with the situation outside, and he couldn’t return for a while. He Xuan quickly led the Crown Prince to move to the underground passage leading to the cold palace.

When the Crown Prince saw the underground passage, he shivered all over.

He Xuan didn’t have time to explain much. He ordered the guards to go down first and then threw the Crown Prince into the passage.

As they sneaked through the passage, He Xuan couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease in his heart.

Things were going too smoothly.

Knowing Mo Yin, he couldn’t have just let them succeed so easily.

There must be a countermove, either setting a trap or an ambush.

He Xuan stayed at the rear, fearing that there might be pursuers attacking from behind. When they reached the exit of the secret passage, He Xuan even worried that Mo Yin’s cold face would be waiting for them after lifting the concealment of the passage.

But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The abandoned mansion on the outskirts of Beijing was dark and quiet, with only the sound of the wind.

The Crown Prince, dressed in eunuch attire, stood tremblingly, vomiting at the side.

“Your Highness…”

The servants of the He family quickly surrounded him to take care of the Crown Prince.

He Xuan frowned slightly, feeling a lingering unease in his heart. There must be something he overlooked or didn’t notice, but he couldn’t figure it out for the moment.

The journey back to the Grand Master’s mansion was equally cautious, especially with an unarmed Crown Prince. They had to be extremely careful.

Finally, they arrived safely at the Grand Master’s mansion. He Xuan then had time to negotiate slowly with the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, you have suffered.”

The Crown Prince shook his head palely. “Thank you, General He, for rescuing me. I am deeply grateful.”

“Please, Your Highness, have a seat.”

The Crown Prince sat down, still looking shaken.

Before officially explaining his plan, He Xuan first asked the Crown Prince if he knew anything about the late emperor’s death. The Crown Prince stared into his eyes and slowly said, “He killed my father.”

There was silence in the room.

Recalling the scene of his father’s death, the Crown Prince seemed to tremble even more.

“Your Highness, I intend to assist you in ascending to the throne,” He Xuan looked at the Crown Prince with deep eyes. He knew it was difficult to say, but he had to, “If successful, could Your Highness promise me one condition?”

*

Outside the palace gate, chaos ensued, but after Mo Yin came out, the situation gradually calmed down.

The purpose was too obvious, even Mo Yin couldn’t help but ridicule it as a clumsy performance.

Being the protagonist wasn’t all good. Often, it required dragging along a bunch of incompetent teammates.

After dealing with the trouble at the palace gate, the guards asked Mo Yin if they should return to the palace.

Mo Yin smiled faintly. “No need.”

Returning to the mansion late at night, Mo Yin maintained his usual demeanor in front of others. Once he entered his room, he immediately sat down on the soft couch. He coughed before he could even reach for his handkerchief. When he removed his hand, his palm was covered in blood.

He knew He Xuan wouldn’t come tonight. It would take them all night to be busy with their plans.

Mo Yin half-lay on the soft couch, his lips curled up with a bright smile, his eyes unusually bright. The stabbing pain in his chest was gradually weakening, but his internal organs were still running extremely reluctantly.

Mo Yin chuckled and coughed up a bit of blood again.

It was ridiculous. A major villain like him struggled even to witness the ending. What kind of major villain was this?

The alliance was quite inventive with their tricks.

But it didn’t matter. Strong individuals wouldn’t care about such underhanded tactics.

His hand rested on his knee, and the thick, sweet-smelling blood dripped down his fingers. Mo Yin sat on the soft couch, waiting for dawn.

October 8th.

According to the astrological calculations of the Qin Tianjian, it was a good day for the Second Prince’s ascension.

Wearing the official red robe, as he tied the jade belt, he noticed that it had moved inward a bit more than before. The maid’s hand trembled slightly as she couldn’t help it, and Mo Yin lowered his eyes.

The maid hurriedly continued.

Mo Yin shifted his gaze away.

In the mirror, the figure appeared pale, with jet-black eyes. Amidst the clear contrast of black and white, only the vermilion lips stood out. The figure was graceful and slender, adorned with a jade belt around the waist, accentuating its slimness, leaning towards a delicate and refined demeanor.

The maid presented the official hat, and Mo Yin extended his hand, shaking his wide sleeve before accepting the hat and putting it on.

Entering the palace by sedan.

The second prince was already dressed in dragon robes, but his complexion was extremely tense. In front of Mo Yin, even his shoulders seemed to shrink inward. The noble bright yellow appeared dim against the vivid red.

“Is Your Highness ready?”

The second prince nodded tremblingly. Whether it was his illusion or not, he felt that Mo Yin’s voice today seemed much hoarser than usual.

After being confined for many days, the princes were finally released and groomed by the palace attendants in advance. They had shed their arrogance upon entering the palace and now understood their position under Mo Yin, behaving obediently in their elaborate attire, refraining from speaking.

The coronation ceremony was exceedingly complex. First, they had to pay respects to their ancestors. The second prince sat in the dragon sedan, feeling anything but joyous; he was on the verge of tears.

In the ancestral hall, the second prince led a group of princes in kneeling. They all knelt before the memorial tablets of the emperors of the Li family. Throughout the entire hall, only one person stood alone without kneeling.

Clad in a crimson official robe, hands behind his back, he stood straight and calm, gazing lightly at the tablets of the emperors.

The ceremonial officer beside him turned a blind eye, continuing the proceedings with shrill cries.

The entire worship ceremony took nearly half an hour. Outside the hall, civil and military officials were ready, and the second prince had changed into ceremonial attire. The attire was heavy, and he was frightened. Standing beside him was a tall figure, walking alongside him without offering comfort, instead seeming to be the source of his nervousness and fear. To him, this didn’t seem like a coronation ceremony, and the throne he was ascending didn’t feel like an imperial one.

He was merely a puppet, and the real emperor was the one beside him.

The second prince suppressed his fear and walked slower and slower, even lagging behind the person beside him.

“Your Highness,” the person beside him cast a cold glance, “walk faster.”

The second prince trembled all over, and the pearl curtain on his forehead rattled. The officials behind him were silent, unable to help him at all.

Who else dared to resist? And who could resist?

The second prince steadied his mind and resigned himself to move forward.

Inside the main hall, the officials followed the steps of the new emperor, taking their designated positions.

The new emperor was still a child. The figure in bright yellow moved toward the dragon throne, and the figure in crimson followed step by step.

The officials were either numb or hiding their resentment, but there were also those who supported. The generals stood calmly, evidently already subdued.

Before the dragon throne, the figures in bright yellow and crimson stood side by side. The ceremonial officer beside them loudly announced, “Pass the scepter—”

The drums outside the palace gate immediately resounded. Amidst the intense drumming, Mo Yin coughed almost imperceptibly, just clearing his throat, remaining completely still.

As the drumming subsided, another sound burst forth strongly.

Mo Yin’s eyes shot out towards the palace gate.

He was very familiar with this sound.

It was the sound of armor clattering on horses.